Syafiq Mat Noor

Job title:

Lecturer in Climate Change Education

Area of work and how it relates to COP30:

I work at the interface of education, climate change, and indigenous knowledge. In my role as Principal Investigator on the Voices of the Rainforest project, I co-create place-based curricula with indigenous communities, teachers, and children, showing how traditional ecological knowledge strengthens climate resilience. At COP30 I will follow the guiding principles of Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) and the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform (LCIPP), translating evidence from education research and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) into practical pathways for implementation under the Paris Agreement.

What are the big issues that COP30 needs to address? What are your hopes for the negotiations?

How can education be operationalised as a core tool for climate action under the Paris Agreement, with measurable indicators and sustained support for teachers and learners?

In what ways can traditional ecological knowledge be systematically embedded across Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), and adaptation policies?

How can climate finance be structured to reach classrooms and communities directly, ensuring that Indigenous organisations and schools have equitable access to resources?

What's your message for world leaders at COP30?

Prioritise learning as much as infrastructure. Fund and embed traditional ecological knowledge in your education systems, protect indigenous rights, and co-create policies with indigenous peoples who have reciprocal relationships with the climate and nature. Move from statements to syllabuses, from projects to permanent budgets, and from consultation to shared leadership. If you want resilient societies, invest in the knowledge (scientific and indigenous) that makes resilience possible.

Do you have any tips about climate action that you can share?

Start by recognising that education itself is a powerful form of climate action. Support learning that connects people to place, from classrooms to communities, and value the traditional ecological knowledge that has sustained ecosystems for generations. Amplify indigenous voices in decision-making and curriculum development, and create

spaces where science and indigenous knowledge can work together. Real transformation happens when learning leads to collective responsibility for both people and planet.